You’re one of a kind…shouldn’t your Executive Assistant be?
Your business is burgeoning, and it’s time to get some help with those daily administrative tasks so you can keep focused on what matters to your business most. But you don’t quite have enough work to keep someone busy full-time, have a virtual office or don’t want the extra overhead costs of hiring. Enter the magical world of Virtual Assistants.
A Virtual Assistant can be anything from an administrative assistant for your business tasks such as data entry, research, email management and calendar management to a personal assistant, who completes travel booking, online grocery orders or booking appointments and reservations. Pretty much anything on your “to-do list” that drains your energy or steals your time, your Virtual Assistant will excel at.
On every call, we go over how a virtual assistant can save you money since it is a new concept for many people who are used to having an Administrative Assistant in the other room. With many offices moving remotely and a lot of tradespeople utilizing our services, an in-office assistant is not particularly necessary anymore.
6 Advantages of a Virtual Assistant
If you have any doubts about what a Virtual Assistant can offer, think about this:
1. Pay for the work, not the chat.
Your business will be charged on a fee-for-work basis, without time spent at the water cooler. That means you get 100% of the work you need done, and get charged only for hours worked. One thing to look out for is the rounding up that happens with most virtual assistant companies. If you have a 12-minute call with your Virtual Assistant, most companies will round up to 1-hour. Meaning 48 extra minutes are billed to you but they were never actually used. At VEA we only round up to the nearest 15-minute increment. That 12-minute call will only cost you an extra 3-minutes.
2. No need to visit IKEA for that second workspace. (Sorry IKEA!)
Our Virtual Executive Assistants work remotely from their own spaces with their own equipment, so there are no added overhead costs to your business. Our Virtual Executive Assistant’s come with a printer, computer, Microsoft Office suite and obviously a desk and chair. If you have certain software you use you may need to pay for a license. Otherwise, everything is included which helps your Virtual Assistant get up to speed right away which is a major bonus. Usually when you start looking for a Virtual Assistant, you realize you should have hired one a few months to a year ago.
3. The pool is fine – c’mon in!
Having a Virtual Assistant opens up the talent pool. Instead of local applicants, you can search the world for the right fit for you and your needs. At VEA we have a large pool of North American Virtual Executive Assistants, each with their own unique professional skillset and experience. We take the time to personally match your needs (no computer program here!) with the Virtual Assistant that is right for you and your business.
The great thing about working with a team is they lean on each other’s experience, knowledge, and skills. If you have a question, they don’t know the answer to, there is a good chance our team will. The best part, they don’t need to run every question by you, many times they can ask our team which saves you time. Which is the whole reason you want a Virtual Assistant.
4. Takin’ care of business.
Focus on what you do best – growing your business – and leave the rest to your Virtual Assistant! Our Virtual EAs can help you with the time-consuming tasks (such as email management, travel booking, scheduling, and administrative work) that are weighing you down. The first two tasks to offload to your Virtual Assistant would be the ones that drain your time and drain your energy, helping you focus on higher-level tasks that move your business forward.
5. Time zones not quitting time.
If your business runs on North American time, find a Virtual Assistant who works on North American time. Working with someone as vital as a Virtual Assistant in a different time zone delays response time and tasks that should take an hour can take 24 hours or more.
6. Choosing your Virtual Assistant
We highly recommend choosing to work with one Virtual Assistant rather than a “task-based” virtual assistant company. “Task-based” companies take your request and give it to the next available virtual assistant. Having a dedicated Virtual Assistant will help you offload tasks faster and build a relationship of trust and understanding. Instead of submitting a “ticket.” A simple email, text or Slack message to your Virtual Assistant will have the task handled without having to give proper permission to software or mail and it doesn’t require an explanation each time.
Hiring the Right Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistants can be one of the greatest additions to your business as you scale. Hiring the right one can keep you from working evenings and weekends, or as a client recent said to me “8 days a week.” Your time will also be spent on the tasks you enjoy and the ones that need your attention, not the day-to-day administrative tasks that steal your time and energy. At VEA, we exist to free you up and take those tasks off your plate. Our team of Virtual Executive Assistants are highly experienced with 5-10+ years working with Business Owners, Entrepreneurs and C-Suit level Executives. Our entire team is North American based, and we can get you up in running in a couple of weeks from your initial call.
We offer customizable virtual services that allow you to add exactly the amount of support you need – full-time, part-time, or something in the middle.
Curiosity peaked? If this post has you thinking, please give us a call using the button below to see how VEA Pros and our talented team can help you scale your business by offloading administrative tasks that are stealing your time and energy. Giving you the freedom you have always dreamed of having in your business.
Derek Burbidge
Manager of Sales & Marketing
